Identifying iPhone OS's on a Network and Sending Push Notifications - iphone

Can you identify devices on your network as an iPhone OS device easily? Can you send push notifications to devices identified as using the iPhone OS on your network without a a target app?
Is is possible to identify which devices on a network are using the iPhone OS?
With this information, is it possible to send push notifications to these devices?
From my understanding, your application server will contact APNs, which will contact the users. So, the above would be impossible. Can someone confirm this for me?

If you look at the Apple's documentation for the UIDevice class :
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/uikit/reference/UIDevice_Class/Reference/UIDevice.html
For example, [[UIDevice currentDevice] model] wil give you strings like #”iPhone” and #”iPod touch”.
Then in your App Delegate method "application:didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken:", you can store the device model with the device token on your server.
You will be able to send push notification to a given model with that. If you use UrbanAirship, you could use the "tag" option.

As far as I know, iPhones don't announce their presence in a special way within the network. You might be able to guess what devices are iPhones on your local network by looking at the MAC address of responding hosts.
No, push notifications are delivered over an encrypted connection between iPhone and APN servers and always target a specific application on a device. You're not able to send a push notification to arbitrary devices on your network (at least not without hacking the devices).

Related

Share iPhone's internet connection with a non apple device. Tethering

I have a non Apple device used to process some data. It has bluetooth support.
It can be paired with the iPhone via bluetooth.
The device must use iPhone's internet connection to access a remote server.
See the flow:
I pair the device with the iPhone in Settings->Bluetooth.
I use ExternalAccessory framework to send data to the paired device.
The device processes the data and uses iPhone's internet connection to send the data to a remote server.
There is no problem in pairing the device to iPhone ( no jailbreak, by the way ).
Also, the firmware of the device is to be modelled in order to sent https requests via a valid internet connection.
The problem is the tethering, that will allow the iPhone to share it's WIFI or 3G connection with the device.
All I have found so far is tethering the iPhone with a computer, but no word about other non apple devices.
Any idea/link?
Take into account:
The device has bluetooth hardware and can be legally paired with the iPhone, no jailbreak needed.
The data processed by the device MUST avoid the application, and go directly to the remote server: I am not allowed to get the data from the device and use NSURLConnection to pass it to the remote server.
Please suggest a way to share iPhone's internet connection with non apple device.

How to detect all available Wifi networks and connect to one of them in an iOS app

In my iOS app, I want to detect all available wifi networks and then choose one network form the list and connect to it. The goal is to not open the Settings built in app to connect to a wifi, but to do it all in my app.
First, is this possible? If possible, please point me to what framework(s) and methods to use.
I have looked at the Reachability example, but that doesn't work for me because, I think, all it does is monitor the network state of the device.
I also looked at the Captive Network Support framework, and used the CNCopySupportedInterfaces function:
CFArrayRef allWifiNetworks = CNCopySupportedInterfaces();
NSLog(#"%#", allWifiNetworks);
but all I am seeing is the current wifi network that the device is connected to.
Thanks
I'm pretty sure you can't do this, at least not if you want to be able to publish on the App Store.

iOS and Bluetooth low energy, possibilities?

I want to connect a robot, via Bluetooth, with an iPhone (4S or more) via Bluetooth low energy (BLE) 4.0. This robots require to send all the notifications of the iPhone to the device.
For example: If the iPhone gets a new email, I must send the event to the robot, and it will blink an LED. Stop.
I want to know if the iOS Bluetooth APIs of the Bluetooth framework can do this, or better, can share the Internet connection or whatever that can do this work.
I'm asking this, because I have heard that the APIs have some restrictions.
PS: ANY solution that can do this is very accepted (no Wi-Fi connection solution).
Bluetooth LE would be the way you want to go here, because standard Bluetooth requires your device to be MFi-compliant. Standard Wi-Fi could also work, if you're able to require the presence of the supporting network.
As of iOS 6.0, you can set up your iPhone as a Bluetooth LE peripheral, which would allow it to send notifications to your device, if it is configured in a central role. That would be a pretty power-efficient way of updating your device with new data.
However, there's one large hurdle to doing what you want here. iOS applications have no access to system-wide notifications, so you won't be able to listen for incoming emails or other notifications like that. You'll be able to send data to your device via Bluetooth LE, but you're not going to know when emails come in so that you could send that to your device.
With bluetooth 4, you could control a robot, as well as create a "notification" bot. It could be done quite easily. However as mentioned, you can't access system wide notifications in iOS.
However, you could use an external solution to listen for system notifications and then an API to listen a singular encoded notification and have your app listen to that.
One such system is https://ifttt.com (no affiliation)
There are also some great plug and play BLE options for rapid prototyping.
You can do it. A simple solution would be let a phone check your email periodically. Don't rely or try to use external Apple applications to do that, but use services provided by your mail.
In the case of Gmail, try to go to https://mail.google.com/mail/feed/atom. If you are logged in your Gmail, you will see the unread mail in XML format. The way you would login using a URL is: https://username:password#mail.google.com/mail/feed/atom
So what you can do is periodically parse the output and when <fullcount>0</fullcount> value changes call your robot service via BLE which should act as a callback for this specific event.

iOS Bluetooth printer?

Does anybody suggest a mobile printer able to print receipt with a good SDK to interface wireless an iOS application adhoc developed ? The printer should be small and should use rechargeable batteries for field use.
I cannot use wifi because not always a trusted access point (customer premises) is available, so I think to use Bluetooth, but of course any suggestion is welcome !
FYI I already checked Zebra printers SDK for iOS but it seems able to print only using a TCP/IP address, it means (for as I know) I should use wifi. In my case the application should be used in the field from an iPad connected with cellular network. In iPad there is no hot-spot and not always there is an available wifi access point tho connect the iPad and the printer the the same network to use TCP/IP addresses. That is the reason I'm guessing the last chance should be bluetooth.
Unfortunately iOS5 does not support Bluetooth printing.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3647
Have you considered VPN via WEP to a network printer?
Alternatively some printers can be set up with their own email address. PDF attachments can be sent via this address to be printed. These emails can be sent encrypted.
I know that this isn't the IDEAL answer, but it is likely to work for the time being until iOS is properly updated.
Yes, I have Bluetooth printer for IOS device, it is Apple MFI approved
see details from this URL http://www.bluebamboo.com/other_file/P25i%20Datasheet%20%28EN%29%20v1.0%2009-Oct-2011.pdf
I know you already accepted an answer, but here's another one: have the technician bring their own wireless base station (AirPort Express perhaps) and create his own wireless network (that won't have internet access, but that's not needed) with appropriate security. Then you can use any HP wireless capable printer and have the iOS device and the printer connect to the wifi network created by the wireless access point (which should be set with DHCP to vend IP addresses in a non-routable range like 192.168.x.x, obviously).
We also have a Bluetooth printer that is MFI certified along with an easy to understand iOS SDK. Please take a look at the EZPay App on the Appstore. The app's currently in Japanese (fir one of our clients) but the description explain a little about the printer. I'm currently traveling at the moment, but if you shoot me an email from the contact info on the App Store. I can get a few other things out to you. Cheers... B
No need to develop a full blown SDK, check out Mobi Print. it has the Zebra sdk already implemented and connects to any webservice or ODBC database. It also has stored label/receipt formats in there app so just upload your format and should be good to go.
here is link for Mobi Print

use 3g for internet when connected to adhoc wifi (using private API's)

First and foremost,
I am looking for a resource to use Private API's.
this is an enterprise application and will never go to the app store
I need to take as much configuration out of the users hands as possible.
That being said, I have a device that an ipad will be connected to and communicate with via an adhoc wifi network supplied by the device. the ipad connects to this device and sends raw data to it via socket connections. I also need to connect to the internet for data syncing.
80% of the time, the ipad will be connected to this adhoc wifi device. Management software on the ipad does not allow the user to adjust wifi settings so I am trying to make sure I am connected to my device without limiting my server syncing. I know I can determine the connection using apples Reachability class, this is not what i am looking for. I need to use BOTH 3g AND wifi.
Is there a way to enforce this in code? Or is there a resource for the private API's that I can look at to find a way?
This will be in iOS 5 and the most preferable method would be to just route my http requests via some private api method to use 3G and let the socket requests use wifi to the adhoc device.
code samples would be awesome, links / class names to research would be very much appreciated.
and once again this is not going into the app store, it is an enterprise app
the resolution i found was to assign an ip in the privately assigned ip range the ipad uses (169.254.x.x) to the adhoc device then let the ipad determine an ip. Then see if i can open a socket connection to the device (to determine if its available) and then issue a print.
Going this route, i am still able to use 3g data as well as communicate with the device via wifi.